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CARE Program: Areas of Focus

The core of engineering fluency is an ability to integrate the principles of physics, chemistry, biology, and mathematics to design new technologies and create integrated systems that meet unfulfilled needs. For CARE trainees, engineering skills are gained primarily through didactic courses at the undergraduate level prior to entering the program, as well as additional graduate level courses, and thesis research.

It is expected that CARE trainees should have a fundamental understanding of engineering principles and design of integrated systems through:

Successful completion of a minimum of four advanced courses in engineering (BME 230A-B, and two cardiovascular engineering electives).

Signature assignment – complete a body of original research with a significant engineering component as assessed by thesis committee – the written doctoral dissertation.

For the purposes of our training program, fluency in cardiovascular science includes a detailed understanding of structure-function relationships at macro- (i.e., physiology) and microscopic (i.e., biology) levels of the cardiovascular system. Fluency in this area is achieved through required and elective didactic courses, a cardiovascular seminar series, division of cardiology “Grand Rounds”, an intensive Clinical Cardiology Short Course, a journal club, thesis research, and the Heart to Heart training club.

It is expected that CARE trainees will have a fundamental understanding of normal and pathological function of the cardiovascular system through:

Successful completion of a minimum of three advanced courses in cardiovascular science (BME 221, and two cardiovascular engineering electives).

Successful completion of the Clinical Cardiology Short Course.

Signature assignment – complete a body of original research with a significant cardiovascular component as assessed by thesis committee – the written doctoral dissertation.

Entrepreneurship

"I applied for the CARE program because it was a unique opportunity to gain expertise in the cardiovascular field while also gaining skills in entrepreneurship. We get the chance to build connections with doctors at the medical campus while also gaining ties at the business school"- Sandra Lam, CARE Trainee

Entrepreneurial and translational skills equate to understanding the pipeline from discovery to clinical application to product deployment (manufacturing, marketing, distribution, etc.). Training in this area is a unique feature of the Program. The goal is not to train professional entrepreneurs; rather, to train cardiovascular researchers who understand the principles of translating technology to the private sector, and can effectively communicate with professional entrepreneurs. Training mechanisms include participation in UCI’s annual business plan competition, formal coursework in translational medicine and entrepreneurship, and a required thesis committee member from the Paul Merage School of Business.

It is expected that CARE trainees should understand the principles that are necessary to translate a scientific discovery to product deployment through:

Successful completion of a minimum of two courses in translational science and entrepreneurship (PH290 and ENG195).

Signature assignment - develop an exemplary, innovative business plan and participate in the UCI business plan competition.

For more on the UCI Paul Merage School of Business or the UCI Business Plan Competition, please visit: http://merage.uci.edu/

By the end of the training program it is anticipated that CARE trainees should be optimally trained to identify gaps in cardiovascular technology, and be able to perform the research that develops new technology to address these gaps. They should also be fluent in translating technology from the university lab to the private sector by understanding how to navigate common obstacles of this process and by implementing the sequence of steps necessary to establish a successful business plan.